The Riverhead Board of Education yesterday adopted a revised Code of Conduct with new district-wide policies that prohibit gang-related activities, emphasize punishments for “offensive” behavior, and create the procedure for using metal detectors on students.
New gang activity policy
The most notable change to the code was new language prohibiting “gang-related” clothing and activity for students and school personnel. The revised code states that individuals are prohibited from gang membership and the promotion of gang-related activities, including displaying “signs of gang affiliation or membership in gangs or organizations that law enforcement agencies currently identify as promoting violence or violent activities.”
“The use of language, hand signals, graffiti, tattoos, haircuts, or the wearing of any apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessory, or manner of grooming which, by virtue of color, arrangement, trademark, symbol, or any other attribute indicates or implies membership or affiliation with such a group is hereby prohibited,” the code states.
Violators may be subject to disciplinary actions.
The code was modeled after the code of the Three Village Central School District, where Interim Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich and Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Alan Baum worked before coming to Riverhead, Baum said in an interview.
“That was more or less lifted from that district and incorporated here, knowing that there is gang activity in Suffolk County, and that, from what I’m told, this district has had some involvement with gangs — not necessarily in our buildings, but in and around the community,” Baum said.
The prior Code of Conduct prohibited the “carrying or wearing of materials or devices, identifying markings, or paraphernalia that may indicate membership or support for gangs and/or violence.”
A new exhibit attached to the code, referenced in the gang section, is a 2020 county government document titled “Profile of Gang Members in Suffolk County. The document provides information about gangs active on Long Island, including areas of operation and demographics characteristics.
Pedisich said she is unaware of any gang-related activities on school grounds since joining the administration in October 2023.
“I think we’re in a unique position to be able to look at risk factors for students — and that is what the incorporation of that [section] was,” Pedisich said. “It wasn’t to say that we’re looking to profile kids. We’re certainly not looking to do that.”
The code does not specify how to identify gang-related activities. Baum said that guidance would come from local law enforcement agencies, which inform school officials of specific clothing or behaviors affiliated with local gangs. Sometimes, he added, “staff members just start putting patterns together” and consult with building administrators about whether a particular behavior warrants concern.
“If something comes to their concern, they should definitely vet that,” Pedisich said. “We’re not asking them to jump to conclusions, but to seek further advice or guidance on those issues. We want our teachers and all of our staff to be alert to things that could be happening — just like we would want our students to be alert to things that are occurring that concern them.”
Baum said the changes are unrelated to the current U.S. government effort to deport individuals based on alleged gang affiliations. Under the Trump administration, tattoos have been used to identify Venezuelan nationals as members of a transnational gang and target them for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law that allows the president to detain or deport the citizens of an enemy nation. But immigrant rights advocates say tattoos are an unreliable indicator of gang affiliation, according to NPR.
“It’s unfortunate that certain references in this code are coinciding with our president or government’s current activities with respect to gangs,” Baum said.
Consequences for “offensive” behavior and vaping
The code dedicates a new subsection to the punishments students would face for making offensive remarks or behaviors of “a racial religious, ethnic, disability, sexual, gender, sexual orientation, or sexual identity nature.”
For the first offense, students face out-of-school suspension for up to five days and the possibility of a superintendent’s hearing. They will also be referred to in-school counseling. The second and subsequent offenses to this policy carry the same penalties.
Similarly, the code has a dedicated subsection on vaping. Students caught vaping or in possession of a vaping device or material face out-of-school suspension of up to five days and a referral for in-school counseling. Repeat offenses may also be referred for a superintendent’s hearing.
Previously, these behaviors were grouped with other violations. Their placement in separate subsections under “prohibited student conduct” emphasizes the consequences of these offenses. Progressive disciplinary strategies remain in place, and principals are to “take into consideration a student’s age as well as developmental and cognitive abilities and understanding when determining an appropriate consequence.”
Metal detectors
The new code establishes procedures for the use of handheld metal detector wands on students suspected of possessing contraband.
Searches must be conducted by authorized school officials of the same sex as the student. “School officials shall search a student and that student’s belongings if there is reasonable suspicion to believe that the search will result in evidence that the student violated the law and/or the District Code of Conduct and/or District Policy,” the code states.
Students must remove metallic items from themselves and their belongings before being searched. The scanning process involves sweeping from head to toe without making physical contact.
“If a student’s bag/parcel activates the metal detector, the school official shall request the student to open the container in question so that the official can look for weapons and/or dangerous instruments and/or prohibited items.”
If the student’s body activates the detector, they will be asked to remove the item detected. If they refuse, a parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to come to school. Any item confiscated that violates the law or district rules will result in disciplinary action.
Students who refuse to cooperate may face discipline for insubordination.
Other additions to the Code of Conduct include rules on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by students and employees; consequences for the unauthorized use of smart devices or cell phones in the classroom; and policy on the use of tracking devices on school grounds.
Baum said the revision of the code is the product of a yearlong effort initiated by Pedisich. The Code of Conduct is reviewed annually as required by State Education Law.
“One of the most common comments I’ve heard about the code is that it’s so hard to find information in the code,” Baum said. “And that’s one of the things we’re trying to accomplish — was to make it easier for people to find information in the code.”
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